Tottenham star needs more than a Harry Kane ‘voice note’ after nothing display vs Aston Villa
“Harry Kane helped me a lot. Four days ago, he sent me a voice note, and we spoke together about how I can be better, about finishing, positioning in the box. He told me, ‘Whenever you want to call me, just call me. We’re going to talk together and try to find what is the best work for you’.”
We’re sure the Tottenham fans will take great solace in the thought of Harry Kane’s dulcet tones offering assurances to one of their not-fit-for-purpose strikers while he bangs in absurd numbers of goals for Bayern Munich. And thankful for the support though he is, Mathys Tel looks like he needs rather more than a voice note right now.
It’s not clear what he does, or even is, as a footballer. Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert looked similarly like players not quite at the level required to sustain a challenge for Champions League qualification in the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, but we know what their standout attributes are; what they could be brilliant at.
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Simons is tidy in tight areas and has the vision and passing quality required to open up defence, Odobert can dribble at speed and drop the shoulder to beat a full-back. They didn’t do that here, but we’ve seen that on a good day.
Whereas a good day for Tel appears to be little more than him displaying a good attitude, which is something, sure, but obviously not enough for the striker of a Champions League football club.
He had 15 touches in an hour, which isn’t a negative in and of itself – just look at Erling Haaland – but is if you’ve also had no shots, completed no dribbles, not even challenged for an aerial duel and lost possession more often (5) than anyone else. Tel’s one notable contribution was allowing a driven cross from the Tottenham right to nutmeg him at the back post.
“To be honest, I was very, very mad for a lot of weeks,” said Tel, when asked by the Telegraph how he reacted to being left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad.
“But I was like, ‘use this and show him you need to be on the squad list’. Bad things help me more than good things to be better. So I will face a lot of bad things, but I’m going to be OK with that.
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“I’m not in the squad list right now, but I will do everything to be in the squad list in January. This is a new challenge for me, I love challenges.”
After suggestions that The Real Richarlison was BACK following a brilliant brace from the Brazilian on the opening day, just one goal since suggests he probably isn’t. But this display from Tel was the opposite of him staking his claim to be Spurs’ main man.
A half-fit, evidently f***ed-off-to-be-at-Tottenham Randal Kolo Muani didn’t either after a laughable swinger of a shot in stoppage time, but after this showing from Tel, Thomas Frank might just be of a mind that anyone is better, as they might just offer something rather than nothing.
